Applied Vegetation Science最新文献

{"title":"Woody plant encroachment in granite barrens on the Frontenac Arch, eastern Ontario, Canada","authors":"Michelle Cohen,&nbsp;Ryan K. Danby","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12733","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12733","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Woody plant encroachment is a widespread phenomenon affecting treeless or sparsely treed habitats. We aimed to determine the extent and timing of tree and shrub encroachment into rock barrens of eastern Ontario over the last century, and to assess implications for their ongoing management.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Queen's University Biological Station in the Frontenac Arch ecoregion.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We quantified the extent of change in woody vegetation in 290 rock barrens using aerial photography from 1925, 1965, and 2008. Composition and structure of woody plant communities in 10 barrens was subsequently quantified in the field using plot-based sampling. Cores or cross-sections were obtained from individuals &gt;1.5 m height and dendrochronological techniques were used to determine their age and identify temporal patterns of any woody encroachment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Aerial photography indicated that the mean proportion of woody plant cover in barrens increased 22.5% from 1925 to 2008. Dendroecological analysis supported this. Few trees were present prior to 1900 and most established since 1960. <i>Fraxinus americana</i>, <i>Juniperus virginiana</i>, and <i>Juniperus communis</i> were the most common woody species colonizing the barrens. Remnants of large <i>Pinus strobus</i> stumps with extensive charring were found in 90% of the sampled barrens at a mean density of 22.6 stumps ha⁻¹.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rock barrens on the Frontenac Arch have changed substantially over the past century; gradually being colonized by trees and shrubs and losing their distinctly open character. Active management — including prescribed fire and mechanical thinning — may be necessary if there is a desire to maintain these barrens and the rare species they support as components of the region's biodiversity. However, identification of a reference state for restoration is complicated by the fact that the structure and composition of these habitats were undoubtedly altered by European land clearance in the 19th century, and that some of these areas likely existed as pine woodlands before that.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12733","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48763776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transient shifts in composition of degraded temperate native grassland following grazing exclusion","authors":"Brad Farmilo,&nbsp;David Duncan,&nbsp;Claire Moxham,&nbsp;Anne Buchan,&nbsp;Vivienne Turner,&nbsp;Michelle Ballentine,&nbsp;Matt White,&nbsp;Nick Schultz","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12731","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12731","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Globally, grassy ecosystems are threatened and are still declining in extent in many areas. Improving the management of degraded native temperate grasslands that are grazed by livestock is important to the conservation of this critically endangered ecosystem. Questions remain about the role of grazing in the management of such grasslands, particularly in the face of climate change and given the sensitivity of these systems to inter-annual rainfall variability. Here, we investigate the effect of livestock exclusion on grassland composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Temperate grassland, Victoria, Australia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Over 9 years (2009–2017), we monitored plant functional groups in plots open-to-grazing or ungrazed exclusion plots within five fields of degraded native temperate grassland on private land.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the years after grazing had been excluded, we found significant differences in cover between grazed and ungrazed plots for some functional groups (e.g. native perennial graminoids) in some years, but we did not observe long-term divergence in cover or composition of the treatments. At the final monitoring point there were no significant differences in native or exotic species richness between the grazed and ungrazed plots. We show that the years in which differences were observed correspond with the 2010–2011 La Niña high-rainfall event, suggesting that grazing exclusion effects are mediated by rainfall, and are likely to be evident only under certain conditions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In grassy ecosystems already degraded by long-term grazing, excluding grazing has limited potential to shift plant species composition in favour of native dominance. Such grasslands may persist in the medium term in a stable but degraded state with or without continued light to moderate livestock grazing pressure. Hence, managed livestock grazing need not be incompatible with the conservation of degraded temperate grasslands particularly where biomass management is important for the maintenance of faunal habitat. However, improving the function and diversity of these degraded grasslands will seemingly require additional management, including seed addition and experimentation with alternative disturbance regimes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46105100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural and taxonomic diversity predict above-ground biomass better than functional measures of maximum height in mixed-species forests","authors":"Sylvanus Mensah,&nbsp;Florent Noulèkoun,&nbsp;Valère K. Salako,&nbsp;Christa S. M. J. Lokossou,&nbsp;Pathmos Akouété,&nbsp;Thomas Seifert,&nbsp;Romain Glèlè Kakaï","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12732","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12732","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Aims:&lt;/b&gt; Mixed-species forests are known to be highly productive systems because of their high species diversity, including taxonomic diversity (species richness) and structural diversity. Recent empirical evidence also points to plant maximum height, as a functional trait that potentially drives forest above-ground biomass (AGB). However, the interrelations between these biotic variables are complex, and it is not always predictable if structural diversity attributes or functional metrics of plant maximum height would act as the most important determinant of stand biomass. Here we evaluated the relative importance of structural diversity attributes and functional metrics of plant maximum height (Hmax) in predicting and mediating AGB response to variation in species richness in mixed-species forests, while also accounting for fine-scale environmental variation.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt; Northern Benin.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; We used forest inventory data from mixed-species stands of native and exotic species. We quantified structural diversity as coefficient of variation of tree diameter at breast height (CVdbh) and of height (CVHt). For plant Hmax, we computed three metrics: functional range (FRHmax), functional divergence (FDHmax) and community-weighted mean (CWMHmax). We used topographical variables such as elevation and slope to account for possible environmental effects. Simple and multiple mixed-effects models, and structural equation models were performed to assess the direct and indirect links of AGB with species richness through structural diversity attributes and functional metrics of plant Hmax.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Species richness and CVdbh were positively related to AGB, while functional metrics of plant Hmax were not. Structural equation models revealed that species richness influenced AGB indirectly via CVdbh, which alone strongly promoted AGB. Elevation only had a positive direct effect on AGB. While increasing species richness enhanced CVdbh and functional measures of plant Hmax, there was no support for the latter mediating the effects of species richness on AGB.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/b&gt; Structural diversity has a significant advantage in predicting and mediating the positive effect of species richness on AGB more so than functional measures of plant Hmax. We argue that structural diversity acts as a mechanism for the species richness–AGB relationship, and that maintaining high structural diversity would enhance biomass in mixed-species forests.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12732","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42763928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecosystem services provided by semi-natural and intensified grasslands: Synergies, trade-offs and linkages to plant traits and functional richness","authors":"Regina Lindborg,&nbsp;Tibor Hartel,&nbsp;Aveliina Helm,&nbsp;Elisabeth Prangel,&nbsp;Ttriin Reitalu,&nbsp;Raimon Ripoll-Bosch","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12729","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12729","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Question</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Semi-natural grasslands (SNG) are important for maintaining biodiversity and ecological processes in farmland. Current pasture-based livestock production mainly occurs on intensified grasslands (IG) that have been agronomically improved. Although it is documented that SNG and IG differ in terms of plant diversity, their ability to provide ecosystem services (ES) in farmland is less explored. Here, we review the role of SNG and IG in delivering ES, illustrate their trade-offs and synergies, and examine how ES can be assessed by using plant traits and functional richness.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We found that SNG generate a wider range of ES than IG. Trade-offs exist between ES that appear more pronounced in IG between high biomass production and other ES. SNG are good in providing habitat for biodiversity, supporting pollination and cultural services. SNG also have a significantly wider range of plant functional traits and a higher functional richness, suggesting that the potential to supply ES in SNG is partly driven by higher number of species and their functional diversity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Clearer trade-offs were found in IG compared with SNG, supported both by the literature and the functional richness. This suggests that functional knowledge could be a good complement to understand the mechanisms behind ES generation and could help with tailoring grassland management to sustain biodiversity, ecological functions and ES. Although both IG and SNG are likely needed for the long-term sustainability of food production, both could aim for a more balanced generation of ES, increasing biodiversity and functional redundancy at the landscape scale.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12729","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46915314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Magnitude and drivers of plant diversity loss differ between spatial scales in Scania, Sweden 1957–2021","authors":"Yasmine Karlsmo Kindlund,&nbsp;Torbjörn Tyler","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12730","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Changed land use, nitrogen deposition, climate change, and the spread of non-native species have repeatedly been reported as the main drivers of recent floristic changes in northern Europe. However, the relevance of the geographical scale at which floristic changes are observed is less well understood and it has only rarely been possible to quantify biodiversity loss. Therefore, we assessed changes in species richness, species composition and mean ecological indicator values (EIVs) at three nested geographic scales during two different time periods, each ca 30 years, since the mid-1900s.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Two parishes in central Scania, southernmost Sweden.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We analyzed species presence/absence data from three inventories at ca 30-year intervals over 1957–2021 and three geographic scales (157 m², ca 7 km² and ca 45 km²) to document temporal trends and differences between geographic scales in terms of species richness, species composition and mean EIVs.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We found shifts in species composition across all geographical scales. However, the magnitude of biodiversity loss and the main drivers of these changes were scale-dependent. At the smallest spatial scale, we saw a dramatic loss of plant biodiversity with local species richness in 2021 being only 48% of that of 1960. In contrast, at the larger geographic scales no significant changes in species richness were observed because species losses were compensated for by gains of predominantly non-native species, which made up at least 78% of the new species richness. At the smallest spatial scale, changed land use (ceased grazing/mowing and intensified forestry) appeared as the main driver, while an increasing proportion of non-native species, as well as climatic changes and increasing nitrogen loads appeared relatively more important at larger geographic scales.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our results highlight the precarious situation for biodiversity in the region and at the same time the fundamental importance of geographic scale in studies of biodiversity change. Both the magnitude and drivers of changes may differ depending on the geographic scale and must be considered also when previously published studies are interpreted.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12730","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50148622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spontaneous urban vegetation as an indicator of soil functionality and ecosystem services","authors":"José Antonio Molina,&nbsp;Juan Pedro Martín-Sanz,&nbsp;Miguel Ángel Casermeiro,&nbsp;José Ramón Quintana","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12728","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12728","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our study focused on spontaneous vegetation in urban greenspaces in a Mediterranean city with the aim of relating plant community properties with ecological services along soil disturbance gradients. We asked which plant communities have the greatest plant biodiversity and soil carbon storage and the best-performing nutrient cycles and water regulation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Madrid City (Central Spain).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We studied four types of plant communities following soil disturbance gradients: vegetation on trampled soils, roadside vegetation, annual grasslands and perennial forbs. Regarding vegetation, we studied plant composition and productivity, plant diversity, plant growth forms and functional groups. Regarding soils, we determined soil organic carbon (TOC), available nutrients, the activity of seven enzymes relating to the main macronutrient cycles, and physical properties such as bulk density (BD) and soil water-holding capacity (WHC). We used one-way ANOVA to determine the influence of the plant community type on both soil and vegetation variables. Canonical correspondence analysis was performed to interpret the relationships between plant species assemblages with environmental gradients.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Perennial forbs showed greater biomass and developed on soils with the greatest TOC and available phosphorus. Annual grasslands displayed the highest plant diversity. Roadside vegetation developed on soils with higher phenoloxidase activity when compared to vegetation on trampled soils and annual grasslands. Vegetation on trampled soils developed on soils with lower WHC, lower beta-glucosidase, arylamidase and phosphatase activities and higher BD when compared to perennial forbs. Plant community distribution followed gradients most significantly associated with soil organic matter content, soil compaction and nutrient cycling performance.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We conclude that plant communities are good indicators of ecosystem function and services which are unevenly distributed throughout urban habitats. The management in Mediterranean unmaintained urban greenspaces should be aimed at avoiding soil compaction to promote biodiversity, carbon storage and water regulation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12728","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47914867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intensity-dependent effects of cattle and sheep grazing in sand grasslands — Does livestock type really matter?","authors":"Gergely Kovacsics-Vári,&nbsp;Judit Sonkoly,&nbsp;Katalin Tóth,&nbsp;Andrea McIntosh-Buday,&nbsp;Patricia Díaz Cando,&nbsp;Viktória Törő-Szijgyártó,&nbsp;Nóra Balogh,&nbsp;Luis Roberto Guallichico Suntaxi,&nbsp;Francis David Espinoza Ami,&nbsp;László Demeter,&nbsp;Béla Tóthmérész,&nbsp;Péter Török","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12727","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12727","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>By analysing cattle- and sheep-grazed sand grasslands, we tested the following hypotheses: (i) livestock type has a stronger effect on the vegetation characteristics than grazing intensity; (ii) sheep grazing results in lower biomass and species and functional diversity than cattle grazing, regardless of intensity; and (iii) increased grazing intensity causes a shift of the trait composition in grasslands.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sand grasslands in the Nyírség region, East Hungary.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We selected 26 sand grassland sites grazed by cattle or sheep and classified them into four intensity levels. Vegetation composition was surveyed in 2 m × 2 m plots. We harvested the above-ground biomass from 20 cm × 20 cm plots; then dried and sorted it to live biomass, litter, moss, and lichen. We compared Rao dissimilarity index, species richness, Shannon diversity, evenness, and the community-weighted means of nine vegetative and generative traits along a grazing intensity gradient. We calculated functional richness, evenness, and divergence for comparison.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We found that some diversity metrics and community-weighted means of most studied traits were significantly affected by grazing intensity. Several characteristics were also affected by the interaction of grazing intensity and livestock type, but none of the studied characteristics was affected by livestock type in itself. Increasing Rao dissimilarity index peaking at the fourth grazing intensity level was detected, but for other multitrait indices, no such changes were proven, except for functional divergence, which was the lowest at the first intensity level. Graminoid, forb, and litter biomass were significantly affected by intensity, but none of the biomass fractions was affected by livestock type.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We suggest that for the management of sand grasslands, grazing intensity should be carefully adjusted, considering not only livestock units per hectare. For practical recommendations, well-defined, long-term experiments studying different livestock and habitat types along an intensity gradient would be essential.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12727","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42185209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vegetation change in acidic dry grasslands in Moravia (Czech Republic) over three decades: Slow decrease in habitat quality after grazing cessation","authors":"Martin Harásek,&nbsp;Klára Klinkovská,&nbsp;Milan Chytrý","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12726","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12726","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Shallow soils on acidic bedrock in dry areas of Central Europe support dry grasslands and heathlands that were formerly used as extensive pastures. These habitats are of high conservation value, but their abandonment in the 20th century triggered slow natural succession that poses a threat to specialized plant species. We asked how this vegetation and its plant diversity have changed over the past three decades and whether protected areas have positively affected habitat quality.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Southwestern and central Moravia, Czech Republic.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In 2018–2019, we resurveyed 94 vegetation plots first sampled in 1986–1991 at 47 acidic dry grassland and heathland sites. We compared the number of all vascular plant species, Red List species and alien species per plot using parametric and non-parametric tests, life-form spectra using the chi-square test, species composition using detrended correspondence analysis, and indicator values using a permutation test. We also compared these changes between sites within and outside protected areas.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Vegetation changes over the past three decades have been relatively small. However, we detected a decrease in total species richness, the number of Red List species and the number of characteristic species of dry grasslands. Neophytes were infrequent, while archaeophytes increased slightly. The competitive tall grass <i>Arrhenatherum elatius</i>, annual species and young woody plants increased in abundance or newly established at many sites. Indicator values did not change except for a slight increase in nutrient values. These negative trends occurred both within and outside protected areas but were more pronounced outside.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Formerly grazed acidic dry grasslands and heathlands in Moravia are slowly losing habitat specialists, including threatened plant species, and are increasingly dominated by <i>Arrhenatherum elatius</i>. Conservation management, especially cutting in protected areas, slows down the negative trends of decline in plant diversity and habitat quality but is insufficient to halt these processes completely.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12726","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42908437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of dominant prairie species ecotypes on plant diversity patterns of restored grasslands across a rainfall gradient in the US Great Plains","authors":"Zhe Ren,&nbsp;Sara G. Baer,&nbsp;Loretta C. Johnson,&nbsp;Matthew B. Galliart,&nbsp;Laurel R. Wilson,&nbsp;David J. Gibson","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12725","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12725","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A robust ecosystem requires a functionally heterogeneous community of organisms with ecological traits that permit broad resource partitioning. Understanding community diversity patterns can help investigate drivers of community assembly and assess restoration success. Do biodiversity patterns differ among grassland communities sown with different ecotypes of dominant species during restoration along a rainfall gradient in the tallgrass prairie of the central US Great Plains?</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Four field sites across a rainfall gradient within the North American Great Plains: Colby, Kansas (39°23′17.8″N, 101°04′57.4″W), Hays, Kansas (38°51′13.2″N, 99°19′08.6″W), Manhattan, Kansas (39°08′22.3″N, 96°38′23.3″W), and Carbondale, Illinois (IL, 37°41′47.0″N, 89°14′19.2″W).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We applied linear mixed models to assess the effect of dominant species ecotype, year, and location on grassland taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The non-local grass ecotype (compared to the local ecotype) promoted species richness. In contrast, the effect of the dominant species ecotype on phylogenetic or functional diversity was site-specific over the 10-year restoration. Richness decreased across the rainfall gradient from dry to moist sites, and the wettest site had the highest phylogenetic and functional diversity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our results suggest that abiotic filtering by rainfall is a key assembly mechanism that could predict grassland changes in biodiversity in the early restoration phases. Given the community response across the tallgrass prairie, restoration practitioners should consider the impact of regional sources of dominant species used in restoration when biodiversity is a restoration goal. It is recommended for future grassland restoration to detect gaps and limitations in evolutionary and trait structure that will reveal which diversity components to evaluate.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12725","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41537449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Livestock species rather than grazing intensity shape plant guild proportions in interaction with multiple environmental drivers in grassland from the Pyrenees","authors":"Antonio Rodríguez,&nbsp;Mercedes Ibanez,&nbsp;Cristina Chocarro,&nbsp;M.-Teresa Sebastià","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12724","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avsc.12724","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Questions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;ol&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Does grazing management shape the proportion of plant guilds (grasses, legumes, forbs and sedges) in mountain grasslands?&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Which properties of grazing management have the greatest effect on the proportion of plant guilds: grazer diversity/identity or grazing intensity?&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Are the effects of grazing management on guild proportion modified by other environmental variables that explain plant guild distribution at broad spatial scales?&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 &lt;/ol&gt;\u0000 &lt;/div&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Location&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Mountains in the Pyrenees.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We modelled the proportion of grasses, legumes, forbs and sedges using data from the PASTUS database (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 96), which contains a wide range of environmental and management conditions due to the high variety of environmental conditions in mountain grasslands in the Pyrenees. We used a machine-learning algorithm to find those variables that best explained the proportions of each plant guild. We focussed on the differences between the levels of grazing intensity and the grazing species included in the model, and on detecting interactions between grazing variables and climate, topography and soil conditions.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The proportion of forbs and grasses strongly depended on the grazing livestock species at broad spatial scales. Only soil pH showed a higher overall explanatory power on guild distribution. In general, forbs were favoured in cattle- and grasses in sheep-grazed grasslands, the latter also being favoured on acidic soils, while forbs were favoured in more alkaline soil conditions. However, the effects of those factors (grazing species and soil pH) were modulated through interactions with several other environmental variables, including soil Mg, K and P, and terrain slope. In contrast, grazing intensity was a minor driver of guild distribution.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Our results provide information about the relationship between plant functional diversity, indicated by the different plant guild proportions, and grazing management in the Pyrenean grasslands. This information could be useful for developing hypotheses for future experimental studies and for designing policies to improve the management of mountain grasslands.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48481845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}